By Katie Goodman
Spring is the prime time for planting greens and lettuces. One of my favorites to plant is spinach. There are several great benefits of growing spinach.
Spinach easily grows in a pot, whatever size you’d like — big or small — which is great for apartment dwellers or people who prefer to container garden. A friend of mine used to grow a whisky barrel full of spinach. All you have to do is scatter the seeds. There is no thinning required. We use spinach a lot, so I really enjoy having it in my garden.
Also (this is what I love best) if you harvest spinach above the root line it just keeps growing back from the same plant. Isn’t that cool? I have a small space devoted to spinach in my garden and have been enjoying spinach since last fall when I first planted it. It kept right on growing, albeit slowly, through the winter. Here in New Mexico we get snow, but we aren’t covered in a blanket of snow all winter like those of you in Colorado, Utah, or other snow-heavy states.
This recipe for White Bean Hummus with Spinach is great for spreading on sandwiches, and is a healthier alternative to mayo. It also works wonderfully as a dip with pita chips or fresh cut vegetables.
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Ingredients
15oz can white northern beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
1 Tbsp tahini
1 clove garlic
1/3 cup spinach (packed), thinly sliced
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
Dash of cayenne
Directions
Add the beans, olive oil, lemon juice, tahini, and garlic to a small food processor. Puree until smooth.
Chop the spinach into thin strips. Add it to the food processor along with the salt, pepper, and cayenne. Puree until smooth.
Scrape the hummus out of the food processor and into a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let chill for 30 minutes. Hummus will keep for up to 3 days in the fridge.
If you want, you can make a sandwich with the hummus. First, I spread the hummus on both pieces of bread. I load the bread up with whatever veggies I have on hand (in this case I’ve used grape tomatoes, red onion, and cucumbers). Add some meat if you like (I picked turkey) and cheese (I picked Gouda). Put it all together and enjoy!
Spinach recipes you might also enjoy:
About the Author:
Katie Goodman resides in New Mexico with her husband and two children (a 4-year-old boy and an 18-month-old girl). Learning in the kitchen, eating, trying new recipes, and sharing them with friends and loved ones are some of Katie’s favorite things to do. She wholeheartedly believes that part of the goodness in life is enjoying good food with good friends and family, and goodLife {eats} is a place for her to share what she finds good in the kitchen.
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